All in the Family
by Ulquiorra9000
Summary: As Azami Nakiri's grip on Totsuki tightens and the exams draw near, Alice is determined to find some way to resist, if she can get past her own demons first. Soma/Alice. One-shot.


**All in the Family**

by Ulquiorra9000

Soma Yukihira's ears were still ringing from the shocking announcement from Central, when Tsubaki declared him and his Polar Star Dormitory fellows "rebels" against Azami Nakiri's reign. Oh, well. There was work to be done, and Soma was still up that night, hands resting on his chin as he studied a map of Japan, eyes on Hokkaido.

Hokkaido... he'd never been there before. So, the exams were going to go down all across the prefecture... Arato had made that clear. And Erina's tough new training regimen was something else! Poor Megumi was quivering with terror all evening, and Soma hoped she was finally asleep.

Maybe he sould turn in, too... but there was so much to think about...!

Soma jumped when someone knocked on his door. "Hello?" he called out.

Fumio creaked the door open, looking amused as she handed over a fancy envelope. "You got yourself an invitation, boy," she said. "Here."

"What the heck?" Soma frowned at the fancy characters on the silky envelope, and the actual wax seal. Who did that anymore?! At any rate, Soma opened it up, read it, and looked up at Fumio. "Check it out. Alice Nakiri wants to see me at the crack of dawn for a private session."

"Ohhhh, aren't _you_ the popular stud?" Fumio gave Soma's shoulder a genial slap. "Are you gonna go?"

"Alice, huh..." Soma scratched his hair. "Honestly, this letter doesn't even say. But she wants me there pronto! I dunno if Erina knows about this."

"That poor girl has enough on her plate," Fumio said, folding her arms. "I'll look after Erina. I'll see you tomorrow, Soma... or not." She winked and exited the room, leaving Soma alone with that ever-so-fancy invitation. He could already imagine Alice's smug, chuckling face.

"Aw, heck." Soma stood up and stretched. "I can't keep a girl waiting. Bright and early, huh?" He looked outside at the half-moon with a grin. "Maybe a nice morning stroll and chat..."

He went to bed with that idea firmly in mind.

*o*o*o*o*

"Oh, hey. Good morning, Ali -"

Soma clapped his hands over his ears and winced when Alice Nakiri loudly blew a whistle. Here he was, at Polar Star's front lawn at sunup, and both Alice and her lackey Ryo wore track suits and whistles on cords around their necks.

"Chin up, Yukihira!" Alice barked, pointing at him. "No excuses, no complaints! Give me ten jumping jacks, now!"

"Uh... what?"

Alice blew her ear-splitting whistle again. "Go!"

"S-sure!" Bewildered, Soma did the ten jumping jacks, but after that, it was ten squat thrusts, then push-ups, then sit-ups (Ryo holding his feet down). Soma was already working up a sweat!

"C'mon, Alice! I'm not getting into the Olympics," Soma protested when he was done. "What's this all about?"

Alice puffed out her chest and clearly was trying to look tough, but Soma totally saw a grin crossing her lips. "I know there's an expert chef in you, Soma Yukihira," she said. "I need you to bring him out and pass the upcoming exams! You beat me at the Autumn Elections, but that's not gonna cut it! I need 110%!"

Ryo merely nodded to back up her words.

Soma chuckled. "Don't worry, Erina's teaching us stuff about potatoes and whatnot -"

"Amateur hour," Alice interrupted. She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Strong body, strong mind! Now, let's go on a two-kilometer run! We'll keep pace."

And they sure did. Soma was eager for it to end, and when it finally did, he barely got a water break before Alice whisked him and Ryo into a campus kitchen, flipped on the lights, and got out everyone's chef uniforms.

"Okay, now that the juices are flowing," Alice said, rubbing her hands together, "we can start!"

Soma shrugged. "Start what?"

"Making a hell of a chef out of you!" Alice poked him in the belly, then went pink in the face. "Pardon my language."

"Don't sweat it. What's the recipe?"

"Let us try something local. How about oyakodon? Rice with a layer of chicken and eggs with broth."

"Well, sure!" Soma grinned and tied on his bandana. He didn't savor sit-ups or running, but to be in the kitchen with two heavyweights like Alice and Ryo... that was more his speed!  
Five minutes later, Soma was racing around the kitchen amid sizzling pans and bubbling pots, rummaging for ingredients. "It's around here somewhere..."

"What are you doing?" Alice snapped. "Your chicken is about to burn!"

Ryo grunted and nodded to back her up.

"Sorry. I just needed... here!" Soma picked up two particular spices and added them to the chicken, then got the chicken off the heat just before it could burn. He assembled his oyakodon bowl and offered it to Alice with two chopsticks. "Try it, Alice. I added some greens and spices. I hope it worked out."

Alice hesitated as she took the bowl, her eyes narrowed. "You _hope_?"

Soma chuckled again. "Well, I thought I'd branch out a bit. I like taking risks, y'know."

Carefully, as though expecting the chicken and rice to attack her, Alice tried a few bites. Both Soma and Ryo watched her with bated breath.

Alice set it down. "Mmmmmm. Not bad, Soma. That combination was unorthodox, but it's a good start."

Soma's heart sank. "Just a start?"

"I can already imagine the chemical formulas going on in this bowl," Alice said smartly, arms folded over her chest. "We can tweak it. Here, try this!" She eagerly dashed across the kitchen and brought over some paprika and basil leaves. "Okay, from the top..."

"But..."

"She said, _from the top_ ," Ryo growled. A bit of his competitive aura showed through.

Soma hastily got his pots and pans together. "You got it!"

Alice wasn't content with just oyakodon, though. It look two hours to cook a result that she deemed "passable", and from there, she blew her whistle and got Soma cooking up a hearty bowl of Udon (two and a half hours), then she branched out into Italian and called for a big bowl of minestrone, and _that_ took up the whole afternoon! Then there was a gastronomy lecture (Alice donned a white lab coat ands glasses for that), and at long last, she let him go.

"Soma! Where have you been?" Megumi asked the minute Soma stepped back into the dorm. "I was getting worried."

Soma gave her a weary grin. "Sorry. I was doing some extra cooking lessons with Alice Nakiri. She even had a whistle."

Megumi stared. "B-but... Erina's been teaching us about Hokkaido cuisine. If you miss the lessons..."

"Oh, it's okay." Soma beamed. "Can I borrow your notes?"

Megumi relaxed and smiled back. "Sure you can."

"Thanks, Megumi. Look, one way or another, I'll get myself ready for the exams. I promise."

"Okay. Um..." Megumi glanced away.

"Huh?"

"It's just..." Megumi hesitated, then beamed. "Do your best!"

"No sweat. Thanks."

Soma headed for the stairs and yawned. "Whew, I'm tired..."

"Good night, Soma."

"G'night."

*o*o*o*o*

The next day was no different; Soma worked up a sweat doing Alice's exercises at dawn, and once again, he found himself in a hot, steamy kitchen with Alice and Ryo, and this time, Ryo had that red bandana on, along with his demonic cooking spirit!

"Faster, Yukihira!" Ryo snapped as the two boys worked on a roast beef dish. His eyes glinted with hard light. "Are you even trying?"

"Hey hey, I can't treat the meat too rough," Soma protested as he sprinkled on seasoning. He hurried over to a bubbling pot of pasta and tested the pasta's firmness.

"You'll never beat Ryo at this rate!" Alice said over the bubbling water, tapping a pen on her clipboard. "There's four more dishes to go, Soma! Chop chop!"

Maybe she meant it literally, because Soma had to dice some garlic just as the beef finished cooking.

Alice tried both completed dishes and closed her eyes as she thought it over. "Ryo's has a better flavor profile," she said, writing on her clipboard. "It's stronger and more focused, like a camera's lenses."

"Damn right!" Ryo raised a fist. "You see, Yukihira?"

Alice lowered Ryo's arm. "Yes, _but_ Soma's beef was the right tenderness, and yours was a bit on the tough side. And his spice worked better with the pasta's aftertaste."

Ryo bared his teeth. "Impossible!"

Soma patted Ryo's shoulder. "Eh, you'll get it next time."

Ryo knocked Soma's arm away. "Don't patronize me!"

"But I meant it."

"GUYS!" Alice rapped her clipboard on both their heads, scowling. "We'll never defeat Central like this! Grow up and cook right! This next recipe is even trickier. I expect more out of you."

Ryo sighed and lowered his shoulders. "I'm ready, mistress."

"Me, too," Soma added. But something felt off about this, and the feeling got more pronounced over the next three days. Alice drilled both boys in every dish and cooking utensil she could think of, and on the third day, she started cooking, too, and kept pace with the boys.

"No! This was supposed to turn out _perfect_ ," Alice said in dismay once she taste-tested her own bourbon-glazed salmon. She slammed a fist on the table. "Soma, Ryo, please tell me yours turned out just right!"

Soma cautiously offered his own dish, but Alice deemed it on par with hers. Meaning, not good enough! And the same for Ryo's!  
"We could try cutting back on the brown sugar," Soma suggested, "and make up for the lost sweetness with a little -"

"No! We'll try it again," Alice snapped at him. "And after that, we'll make crab cakes. Don't let me down."

Soma wanted to give her a reassuring smile, but then he saw the tense and bitter look on Alice's face and backed down. "Okay. Sure."

Ryo merely ignored them both and got his next ingredients together.

That evening, after the lessons, Ryo went on ahead to his dorm, and Soma walked side-by-side with Alice. It was dark by now; the campus lampposts were on, and as Soma and Alice passed under one, Soma cleared his throat. "Tough day, huh? I've never cooked that fast before."

"Mmmmmm," Alice said.

"For the record, _I_ think your cooking's fantastic as usual, Alice."

"Mmmmm."

Soma hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Alice, c'mon. What's the matter? We've been rivals this whole time, I know. But what's gotten into you?"

"It's nothing, Soma." Alice turned her head away from him. "Look, the first-year girls' dorm is up ahead. I'll be going."

"Wait." On impulse, Soma reached out and took her hand, and Alice stopped.

"Soma -" she started.

"You're not still bitter about the Autumn Election, are you?"

"No!" Alice scowled again. "You're such a clod, Soma. This has nothing to do with the Election."

"Then what?"

Alice took a moment to study him, then looked down at her feet. "I... I'm really scared, Soma. Of my uncle, of Central, and the exams. My own uncle wants all our friends kicked out of Totsuki because they won't play by _his_ rules."

Soma sobered. "Yeah, I know. I don't think anyone saw this coming."

"But I should have!" Alice cried. She snapped her head back up, her eyes swimming. "I've known my uncle for my whole life. I wrote him letters, I've seen him at big fancy gatherings... Erina or me should've known, should've done something -"

Soma took hold of Alice's shoulders. "Don't be unfair. Defending Totsuki shouldn't be all on you."

"But this is my _family_ ," Alice said, tears leaking from her eyes. "I'm a Nakiri. M-most of the students are falling in line, but the ones who secretly resent him... they hate me, and Erina, too. All their research societies are being shut down, and that means all their hard work is gone!"

Alice pried herself from Soma's hands and clasped her hands at her navel. "Soma... I went to Denmark to study new cuisine, and I met Ryo, the best seafood chef I know. I know how personal cooking and your identity as a chef can be. My uncle's taking that away from the students, and I can't stop him."

Soma nodded. "Yeah. At Yukihira Diner, I loved trying new stuff, and experimenting with what the customers wanted. I got lots of ideas from them."

"Yes, I'm sure," Alice said distractedly. "Soma... I can't stand what's happening to this academy. Even with all of us together, what if we can't make it? Can we really do this?"

Azami Nakiri must be really terrifying, Soma thought, if he can even unnerve the cool and confident Alice like this. Just how deep did this go in the Nakiri family? Soma was getting himself into something even bigger than he thought.

"I-I'm sorry," Alice said, turning away. "I shouldn't burden you with all this. We don't have to do a lesson tomorrow if you don't want to. Good night." She hurried away toward the girls' dorm before Soma could get a word out.

Soma stood there under a lamppost, watching her go. He wanted her to come back, but what would he say, anyway? Shrugging to himself, Soma turned and made his way to Polar Star. He'd need to sleep on this one. Alice, probably did, too.

*o*o*o*o*

Sure enough, no one was outside the dorm the next morning, so after breakfast, Soma made his way to the girls' dorm front door and rang the buzzer.

 _"Hello?"_ the overseer's voice asked from the speaker.

"Hi. I'm Soma Yukihira, first-year student," Soma said. "Uh... can I talk to Alice Nakiri? Is she around?"

 _"Oh. Yes. One moment, please..."_

Soma waited a bit nervously for Alice to appear. What if she snapped at him or refused to come? Nah, Soma needed a word with her. No way he'd leave. And sure enough, the front door opened and Alice stepped out into the sunlight, already in her uniform minus the blue jacket.

"Soma," she said blankly, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Hey there," Soma said, waving. "Can we walk?"

Alice looked curious as she joined him. Soma led her across campus, not saying a word.

"Um... Soma..." Alice said cautiously. "Where are we going? What is this all about?"

She got her answer once they reached the same cooking lab they had used for the last few days. Alice stared. "Soma?"

Grinning, Soma drew a whistle from his pocket and blew it. "Get in there, Nakiri!" he said. "Time to cook! Are you a chef or not?"

Alice pouted. "You can't boss me around, Soma! Jeez!"

"Oh yeah? Who's got the whistle here?" Soma blew it again and pointed at the door. "Move it! We're gonna cook all day! Chicken, pasta, ramen, stir-fry, vegetables, you name it! Fire up those ovens, Nakiri!"

Alice's eyes widened and she hurried toward the door. "O-okay!"

They both got on their cooking outfits and filled the kitchen with steam and the aromas of everything Soma could imagine. He announced recipes rapid-fire, and he wasn't afraid to mix and match ingredients to create culinary novelties. Alice scrambled to keep up, reaching for every ladle, knife, and whisk in the kitchen as Soma told her what came next.

"Slow down!" Alice cried as she whisked eggs in a bowl. "Those noodles need time to soften, and I haven't even started on the shrimp yet!" She was definitely sweating now.

Soma chuckled. "I thought you were some hot-shot chef, Nakiri! Where's the confident girl who made it into the Autumn Elections top eight?"

Alice bared her teeth. "She's right here, darn it! Watch me!"

Quick as lightning and precise down the last detail, Alice churned out Soma's modified dishes, and once they taste-tested everything, Alice beamed. "See? I can handle anything you throw at me," Alice said smugly, wiping her brow with a towel. "Honestly. Who do you think I am?"

"A Nakiri."

"That's obvious."

"You said it last night, too," Soma told her, hands on his hips. "That you're a Nakiri, Azami's niece. But you ran away because of it."

Alice pouted again. "Are you teasing me, you diner yokel?!"

Soma burst out laughing. "There it is!"

"There _what_ is?"

Some pointed at her. "That fire of defiance and spirit. Last night, you were about ready to collapse." His face fell. "I can't even imagine what it's like being in your family and having your uncle overshadow everything. But it hurt seeing you look so defeated."

Alice opened her mouth to retort, then closed it and nodded. She sighed. "Last night, I..." She swallowed. "I know what's at stake, and what we stand to lose. Don't tell me you're not scared, Soma?"

Soma nodded back. "Don't tell anyone, but yeah, I'm kind of freaked out, too. I mean, we have six of the Elite Ten to think about, and most of the students are totally under your uncle's heel. It's war."

Alice pumped a fist. "Yes, indeed. It's a challenge, the biggest I've ever faced. Who _wouldn't_ be anxious?"

"I dunno, but I'm downright petrified!"

"Me, too! Scary!"

"Very scary!"

Both Soma and Alice laughed in spite of themselves, and when she calmed down, Alice toyed with her hair and admitted, "Soma... thanks for doing this for me. I think I needed it." She went pink, and not from the leftover steam and oven heat.

Soma gave two thumbs up. "It worked on me. I didn't know what else to try. And you know what, it _is_ kinda fun to be bossy! I see why you do it!"

"Hey! You're teasing me again!"

"Just a little, I promise..."

Alice smiled again, going another shade redder. "I understand what we have to do, Soma. We'll fight so we can cook together as friends. You, me, my cousin, your Polar Star Dormitory friends, all of us. I've never been the sentimental type, but I can't help but say it. And honestly, I'm sorry if I dragged you into my family's drama, Soma."

"Don't sweat it. And maybe we'll have a heck of a shokugeki sometime when this is all over, Alice," Soma said eagerly. "Or with Erina, or Isshiki, or whoever wants to step up. I promise I'll work hard to make it happen."

Alice's smile didn't fade. "You're so corny sometimes, Soma." She took hold of his shoulders, stood on her tip-toes, and kissed his cheek with her warm, soft lips. "And I'll hold you to that promise," she added gently in his ear.

Soma felt his heart skip a beat and he couldn't help a goofy grin. "I'll bet."

Alice stepped away and headed for the changing room. "There's not much time until the exams, Soma. I have some studying to catch up on. I suggest that you hit the books, too."

Once she changed back into her school uniform, Alice gave him a good-bye wave and showed herself out.

Soma stood there in his chef uniform, watching the door closed. Alice was right; he probably _could_ stand to study some more before Hokkaido.

Still... Alice Nakiri. One hell of a girl. The Nakiris never fail to make a big impression, do they?


End file.
